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ANKARA: Turkish PM seems on edge during Parliament's anniversary

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  • ANKARA: Turkish PM seems on edge during Parliament's anniversary

    The New Anatolian, Turkey
    April 25 2005

    Turkish PM seems on edge during Parliament's anniversary
    TNA / Ankara

    Erdogan reproaches Polish ambassador and Ankara Chamber of Commerce
    head

    Erdogan chides Polish ambassador over his Parliament's pro-Armenian
    resolution: `You shouldn't have done that but you were betrayed by
    the others'

    Chamber of Commerce Head Aygun: `He said things are going well. I
    said things aren't going well so he was upset'

    On Saturday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan seemed on edge at a
    reception hosted by the Parliament speaker on the 85th anniversary of
    Parliament. Journalists, ambassadors, and even some businessmen were
    reproached by Erdogan during the event.

    Erdogan was first introduced to Polish Ambassador Grzegorz Michalski.
    Erdogan, referring to the Polish Parliament's recent pro-Armenian
    resolution, said to the ambassador, "I'm disappointed. You shouldn't
    have behaved this way. Even though Poland has always supported us
    during the EU process, you shouldn't have done this. But it's
    apparent that our Polish friends were betrayed by the others."

    To which the the ambassador replied, "I know what you mean but
    Turkish support for Polish people during the Russian invasion [of
    Poland] is taught in Polish schools. We're grateful for this."

    Things aren't going well

    Afterwards, with Sinan Aygun, the head of the Ankara Chamber of
    Commerce, Erdogan asked, "How are things going?" Aygun's answer of
    "Things are not going well" started a short quarrel. Aygun gave
    details of his talk with the prime minister to The New Anatolian.

    "When he asked, 'How are things going?' I told him that things aren't
    going well. But then he told me that in his barbershop his barber
    tells him that things are okay. Then I said, 'Mr. Prime Minister, my
    barber doesn't say the same, and the shoemaker, the tailor, and the
    grocery man say things aren't going well either.' Then, to change the
    subject, I told him that I was proud of what he said, meaning his EU
    speech when he said, ' The EU is aiming at dividing Turkey.' But he
    retorted, 'I didn't say such a thing.' So I asked him if journalists
    made a mistake when quoting him. He replied that he meant to say that
    Turkey should take part on the side of the leading actors in Europe,
    and advised me that I too should go hand-in-hand with leading
    figures.

    Nowadays, it seems that the prime minister gets nervous easily. It's
    normal because there's no end to negative developments abroad."
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